Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 8: To ask the Taoiseach the cost of the communications unit in his Department for the first two months of 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8775/05]

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 9: To ask the Taoiseach the cost of his Department's communications unit for the first quarter of 2005; the way in which this compares to the first quarter of 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11885/05]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 9 together.

The cost of the communications unit for the first quarter of 2005 was €78,783. Of this, €32,017 was a direct cost to my Department, with on average €9,353 being borne by the five other Departments that have staff seconded to the unit. The cost of the communications unit for the first quarter of 2004 was €75,069. Of this, €29,560 was a direct cost to my Department, with on average €9,102 being borne by the five other Departments that have staff seconded to the unit.

The unit provides a media information service to Ministers and their Departments. It furnishes news bulletins and transcripts, ensuring Departments are kept informed in a fast and efficient manner of any relevant news developments. In this way, Departments are able to provide a better service to the public.

The communications unit works an 18-hour day based on a flexible rota of three working shifts. The unit is staffed by six established civil servants, five of whom are seconded from other Departments. The unit's work means that Departments have greatly reduced their use of external companies, ensuring they no longer duplicate work such as transcripts and tapes. The communications unit is estimated to save Departments in excess of €200,000 per annum.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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We have dealt with this issue previously. I still have not taken up the Taoiseach's offer to see what this communications unit does. The cost of the unit for 2005 will be approximately €320,000. The Taoiseach previously estimated that the communications unit saved the Government approximately €200,000 in fees to external companies that would normally supply transcripts and tapes. Does the Taoiseach believe the unit gives value for money?

If there is nothing surreptitious or underhand about the material upon which the unit casts its eye or which it hears, should it not be circulated to all Deputies? If there is a discussion on, for example, Shannonside Radio about the military barracks in Athlone, will the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, be given information on this or must it come from the local Fianna Fáil cumann?

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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It is more than likely that the Minister for Defence will have given the story to Shannonside Radio.

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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He could come down the River Shannon anyway.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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That may well be the case. Does the unit collect information from all media outlets in the country or is it confined to the greater Dublin area?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is confined to the greater Dublin area. It does not monitor media outlets outside Dublin.

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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What about the Internet?

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Is the Taoiseach saying that the Minister, Deputy O'Dea, has no back-up?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The costs highlight the good value the unit provides in so far it not only gives information to Ministers, but a host of people within the Civil Service. The information is up-to-date and factual news material. It gives Departments transcripts and other materials which they require, mainly from national radio, which cuts down on large costs charged by several companies in this business.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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However, it will not provide that information to Members.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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The Taoiseach has had time to reflect on the unit's merits and value. Does the Taoiseach see anything wrong in the information being made more widely available? Given that civil servants are engaged in collecting the information on the back of taxpayers' money, is it not in the common good for Members to be brought into the information loop? We would be better informed to do our job in the House.

The Taoiseach stated the limit of the unit's service was the greater Dublin area. How does this tie in with the Taoiseach's claim that the former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Cullen, had no problem receiving information on what people were saying about electronic voting when he was in the Far East? Would Ms Monica Leech have got the information in the Far East, as well as the Minister? Is the information dispersed to wherever Ministers happen to be? If so, why can it not be dispersed to Deputies given that we are probably in Ireland when the Ministers are abroad?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The unit covers local Dublin radio stations and the national media. The information is given to Ministers, their advisers and senior civil servants when they are abroad. The information can be dispersed through ISDN systems and text messaging. It is not available to every Member because they have that information if they listen to the morning news. The unit simply puts it into a handy form for Ministers and others.

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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It is a costly radio service.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is not. Before the unit was established, all Departments and agencies sought transcripts and tapes on an individual basis. However, this was costly. On a cheaper basis, six civil servants cover an 18-hour day, monitoring and giving useful and up-to-date headlines to Ministers, Ministers of State, their staff and a range of other civil servants.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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It must be a relief to the communications unit that it does not cover the extra-Dublin activities of the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea. He usually gives the story to the Sunday Independent and then reacts by denouncing it.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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A double whammy.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Does the Taoiseach agree that Deputy Sargent's point is reasonable? If the communications unit is staffed by civil servants and paid for by public money and if the contents are as neutral as the Taoiseach claims, why should it not be made available to Members? The Taoiseach claims we would all hear it if we were listening to the radio. How are we supposed to listen to all radio broadcasts? Is Deputy Sargent not making an innovative and reasonable recommendation?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The data prepared by civil servants in the normal course of work are not made available to everyone. They are only made available under freedom of information requests. Such requests have been made to the unit to get lists of the day's events. The normal work done by civil servants is not given to Deputies. This case is no different.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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What is the sequence of events in the event of the communications unit detecting an alarming matter in the media, for example, a puncture in one of Deputy O'Dea's tanks? What action is taken?

Rory O'Hanlon (Cavan-Monaghan, Ceann Comhairle)
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That is a hypothetical question.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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It is highly hypothetical. Are consultants in various Departments automatically given the information gleaned from the media by the unit? If so, what action follows?

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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As Deputy Durkan knows, civil servants do not get alarmed, they simply pass on the information. Ministers get alarmed.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Ministers should be getting alarmed.

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is what happens in this case. The alarming information is passed on.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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The civil servants must be fully occupied.